Confusion, dysfunction continue at Mountain View School Division

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Chaos continues to rule in a Manitoba school division, after members of an oversight committee walked out on a board meeting, while the board accused the province of not being clear with how much power the committee holds.

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The Dauphin-based Mountain View School Division (MVSD) held its regular board meeting on Monday evening, and it saw a continuation of the controversy and downright dysfunction that has gripped the division since last April.

At Monday’s meeting, members of a provincially-appointed oversight committee walked out due to the board’s decision to pass a motion that puts some limitations on the committee’s ability to participate in board meetings.

Then, just hours after the meeting ended, MVSD released a statement on their website saying the division is “concerned” about its ability to work effectively with the committee without “undermining local governance.”

“Despite multiple requests for clarity, the Ministry has not provided any further guidance on how the panel’s role should function without jeopardizing the representation of the community,” the statement, which was penned by MVSD Chair Jason Gryba reads.

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“The Minister of Education has not responded to MVSD’s proposals or clarified the role of the oversight panel, leaving things in a state of uncertainty.”

The three-person oversight committee is made up of representatives from the Manitoba Métis Federation (MMF) the Brandon School Division (BSD) and the Manitoba Teachers’ Society (MTS).

MVSD also questions if the organizations represented on the committee will allow the committee to be fair and impartial, as an ongoing governance review of the board continues.

“MVSD board of trustees is committed to working with the panel, but its members have ties to organizations that called for dissolving our board, which makes it difficult to trust the process and ensure they’re committed to supporting local governance,” MVSD’s statement reads.

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In its statement, the division did not clarify which organizations represented on the committee had called for the board to be dissolved.

In an email, a spokesperson for Education Minister Nello Altomare said the terms of the oversight committee have been “clearly outlined.”

“The Minister was pleased to meet with the entire MVSD board in June and our government has taken a balanced approach in working with the board while providing them supports,” the spokesperson said.

“One of these supports includes appointing an advisory panel, which the terms of reference have been clearly outlined and communicated.”

The province added the deputy minister of education attended a MVSD board meeting and “further clarified” the role of the oversight panel “to help the board fulfill its primary role, creating safe, inclusive spaces for all children in MVSD.”

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The formation of the committee stems back to an incident in the division last April that has since led to a growing list of controversies that have continued into the new school year.

During a board meeting last April, MVSD trustee Paul Coffey made a presentation that the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs called “profoundly racist,” as the trustee made claims that residential schools were “good,” defended the use of the word “Indian” when referring to Indigenous peoples and used the term multiple times during the presentation, and called Indigenous land acknowledgements “divisive.”

Education Minister Nello Altomare immediately expressed concern about the presentation and announced in April the province would conduct a provincial governance review of MVSD, and appoint an oversight committee to oversee the board, and monitor trustee conduct at meetings.

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On June 4, the board then announced that Stephen Jaddock had been removed from his role as superintendent after four other trustees on the board, including Coffey voted to oust him, but would not give any reason as to why he was let go suddenly.

One day later on June 5, MVSD trustees Leifa Misko, Floyd Martens and Scott McCallum all announced they had tendered their resignations from the board effective immediately, with Misko saying at the time the environment at the board table had gotten so bad, that she did not feel she could continue to do her job effectively.

“Not all voices are respected or welcomed. It has reached the point where it is no longer effective to remain sitting as a MVSD School Board Trustee. I truly wish this was not the case,” Misko said in a statement she released after announcing her resignation last June.

The board has announced they will hold a by-election on Oct. 30 to fill the three seats left vacant after the resignations, as well as a fourth position left vacant last March when trustee Charlene Gulak stepped away to pursue a professional opportunity.

The province said that as of this week the governance review of MVSD is ongoing.

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